Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-02-23


mountain side.
"Strange, amt it?" said Mrs.
Deacon Trudge. Everyone s'posed
old Mrs. Martin had money in the
bank, and now there amt a sign of it
to be found !"
Gail fooled away in them deceivin'
shares that her son Josiah was
ruined WITH" said Mrs. Grundy. "Un-
beknown to Hosea and his wife.
That's the way it's gone, you may de-
pend"
But Mr.. and Mrs. Hosea Martin
could not believe that grandma could
so far have lost her senses as to frit-
ter solid money away like that.
"As sure as you live, Hosea," said
his wife, s'she's put it away some
wherel In stocking or a bag, or up
the chimbly, or under the bricks of the
old kitchen hearth, and it must be
found. For Matilda's sake! Grand
ma, always said Matty was to have
her money, and now that she's en-
gagged to Rufus Burton, and all"
"It's my private opinion, Hetty,"
said the farmer, shaking his head in g.
sort of discouraging way, "that you
sold that money, done up II the rag
bags!"
sfNonsense!" said Mrs. Martin, grow
ing pale. 'tIt might have been in the
files of newspapers, laid fiat and
stitched down. Tveheard tell o. such
things And to speak the truth, Ho-
sea, I've been to the Elder and looked
over every Identical one OF them pa
pers. By good luck the package hadn't
even been united. But there wasn't
nothin' there but printers ink. But
the rags-oh, Hosea, wouldn't know
| the man with the string of bells and the
rag wagon from Job And where he
went and where he came from, thegood
Lord only knows!"
ST reckon you'll find that house
cleaning came pretty expensive" said
Mr.. Martin, dryly.
All search proved unavailing. Moth
ing could be discovered of grandma's
money, no scrap of paper to afford g.
clew, no hidden hoard, not even q
word of allusion to it, in the old lady's
neatly kept memorandum book. And
| to Matilda's exquisite modification,
| Rufus Burton, after q decent period
Of time had elapsed, delicately gave
| her to understand that he didn't feel
able to marry at present, and that,
| sooner than bind her by the trammels
| of long engagement, he considered it
| better TO release her from her troth!
"Just as you please" said Matty
Martin, with true New England spirit.
And ali the tears she shed were wept
in secret, to the great disappointment
of the neighborhood, who were look
| ing out with some interest to see if
Matilda Martin would pine any, now
that Rule Burt on had mittened her.
But she didn't. Instead of that she
married Alva Dean, who had always
loved her from child.
81 amt college-learned like Rufe
Burton" said he; shut / love you,
Matty, and I'll be q good and true
husband to you, see if / amt"
And the newly-wedded couple came
to live with the Martins at the old
homestead, for Hosea was getting old
and rheumatic, and Mrs. Martin could
not bear the idea of parting from her
only daughter.
Time crept by, Hosea Martin and
his wife grew to be white-haired old
people, and Alva Dean had prospered
on the farm, and built new barn up
on the hill, when one day he said to his
cherry checked wife:
"Didn't there used to be an old we'll
up somewhere near the big butternut
tree, Matty, at the south side of the
barn ?"
"Of course" nodded Matty. "But
the curb rotted away, and mother
thought it unsafe. So after the new
we'll by the house was dug, they filled
it up"
GIVE q notion to open it again."
said Alva. ''The water would be
dreadful handy, now that we keep all
the cattle there"
"But," said Matty; "I seem to
recollect that it run dry after the new
one was dug"
81 guess we can strike water if we go
deep enough" said Alva. "Anyhow l
mean to try"
The old well was reopened- although
Alva Dean remarked with g. groan,
that all the old trash in creation
seemed to have been poked away
there.
Bottles" said he, 'sand broken
nosed pitchers, and tin cans, half
rusted away, and cobble stones, and
goodness knows what all. Enough to
set up junk shop with"
"Ah," said Matty, with smile,
''mother filled it up the same
spring that she sold grandmother's
money to the rag peddler that never
came around again, at a cent and
half pound"
"No use cryin' over split milk, my
girl said Alva, oravely.
"But Pm not crying" said Msytilda;
'I'm laughing. Don't you see?"
Just then in came little Bess, the
youngest, golden-haired darling of the
flock.
"Oh, mamma" she cried, "look at
the lovely old cracked stone jug that
came out of the old well. Mayn't me
and Fanny have it to fix liquorice
water and strawberry wine in? Look
The cork is sticking tight in it yet"
"But it's cracked down the side,
DEAR" remonstr ated Mrs. Dean.
Il